(Bloomberg) -- Home Depot Inc. is expanding its marketing efforts with a three-year NCAA deal that will be timed to begin with this year’s March Madness tournament.

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The home-improvement retailer, which has sponsored college football games on CBS for more than 25 years, now adds basketball and about a dozen other college sports for each gender to its advertising repertoire. The deal includes advertising rights for 90 NCAA championships, including the women’s and men’s Division I basketball tournaments. Home Depot declined to provide the value of the sponsorship deal.

Spring is the most crucial selling season for Home Depot as shoppers plan construction projects for warmer weather. While professional contractors have continued to spend at Home Depot despite broader housing market weakness, do-it-yourself customers have slowed their purchases in recent quarters. The NCAA campaign is geared toward those DIY shoppers, with ads featuring former NBA star Shaquille O’Neal that include home-improvement tips and how-to guides. 

This year, Home Depot expects comparable sales to decline about 1%, an improvement over last year but weaker than analysts had previously expected. The company, which competes with Lowe’s Cos., has been working to encourage spending on smaller projects such as paint jobs as big-ticket renovations like kitchen construction have declined. 

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